Captain Fantastic 50

On October 24th, 2025, Sir Elton John will revisit "Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy" for a special 50th anniversary edition. It’s a celebration of Elton’s 9th studio album that was 1st released in 1975 and remains one of his most successful records, having been certified gold before it even came out and topping the Billboard 200 in its 1st week of release.

An autobiographical concept album detailing the early musical lives of Elton (Captain Fantastic) and long term lyricist Bernie Taupin (The Brown Dirt Cowboy), the record was highlighted by the single “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”.

"Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy" was written aboard The SS France, at the time, the world’s longest passenger liner, as Elton was taking the leisurely route back to the US for a breather in a very hectic year. With a sheaf of words already provided by lyricist Bernie Taupin, Elton wrote the music using downtime in the liner’s music room, the Salon Debussy, committing everything to memory as he didn’t have a tape recorder, before recording at Caribou Ranch with longtime producer Gus Dudgeon.

“'Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy' was the 1st album I’d ever made that was autobiographical, and it was the 1st time we’d gone into the studio with all the songs already written. We rehearsed it as a band, then went in and cut it more or less live. The band were at their absolute peak and you can hear it on the record. I think it’s the best thing we ever did. The songs were strong, Bernie’s lyrics were brilliant, and the atmosphere at Caribou was perfect. Seeing it go to # 1 faster than anything I’d ever released felt like vindication, like the culmination of everything Bernie and I had fought for back in those bedsits in London”, says Elton.

“Of all our recorded output 'Captain Fantastic' has a very special place in my heart. Obviously it was emotionally rewarding as it chronicled a very special time in our lives. I’m not by nature one to wallow in nostalgia, but hearing this album once again 50 years on reminds me of how very deep our bond of friendship and creativity ran”, says Bernie.

This 50th anniversary reissue packs in a wealth of bonus material, including the 2016 remaster of the original album tracks, as well as previously unreleased session demos, Elton’s live performance of songs from the album recorded in 2005 for the album’s 30th anniversary.

There’s also a 28 page booklet with sleeve notes and Elton’s never before seen 1974 diary entries.